Siemens, Bombardier pair on NYMTA PTC

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded a contract to a consortium of Siemens Rail Automation and Bombardier Transportation Rail Control Solutions to install Positive Train Control (PTC) on MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road, the two largest regional/commuter rail systems in the U.S. The maximum value of the contract is $428 million, including all phases and options.

Siemens and Bombardier will develop, test, and commission a new overlay PTC system, which will be delivered in phases on approximately 700 miles of track and 1,500 vehicles across the two railroads.

Siemens’ work scope for the project includes development, modification, design, delivery, provisioning, and supervision of testing and commissioning of the onboard component, much of which utilizes PHW cab signal equipment. (Invensys Rail acquired PHW prior to Siemens acquiring Invensys Rail. The former PHW division is now known as Siemens Rail Automation Carborne Systems.) The scope also includes modifications and revision to the railroads’ existing wayside signal system in order to upgrade and add ACSES (Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System) II-related hardware for the two complete PTC systems, one configured for Metro-North and one configured for the LIRR. Siemens will deliver the WIUs (wayside interface units), which will based on its VIU (Vital Interface Unit) equipment. Siemens Rail Automation President John Paljug told Railway Age that the installation “is not a redesign. Essentially, we’ll be bringing new functions into the existing platforms—for example, grabbing indications from interlockings and bringing them into the PTC pipeline.”

Bombardier will lead system integration, project management, and design, as well as deliver the operational control center sub-systems. In addition to the temporary speed restriction (TSR) and user interface (UIS) systems, communications systems, and wayside transponders, Bombardier’s scope will also include the roadway worker protection system (RWPS), a key element of PTC.

The total LIRR contract for phase one delivery is valued at $105 million, with Bombardier’s share valued at approximately $57 million and Siemens’ share valued at $48 million. If all phases and options are exercised, the total value to the consortium would be $218 million, with Bombardier’s share valued at approximately $107 million and Siemens’ at $111 million.

The total Metro-North contract for phase one delivery is valued at $86 million, with Bombardier's share valued at approximately $44 million and Siemens’ at $42 million. If all phases and options are exercised, the total value to the consortium would be $210 million, with Bombardier's share valued at approximately $129 million and Siemens’ at $81 million.

“This is the first major signaling contract for Siemens Rail Automation in the U.S. since its acquisition of Invensys Rail, which expanded the company’s presence in the North American rail automation market and also strengthened the company’s Positive Train Control solution,” said Paljug. “Siemens is a leading provider of rail automation technologies worldwide, and we are excited to bring this global expertise to advance rail efficiency on these highly traveled commuter lines. We look forward to continuing Siemens’ strong relationship with the NYMTA and delivering technology that will make rail travel increasingly efficient for the more than 80 million passengers that travel these lines each year. The schedule for this project is aggressive, in terms of meeting the December 2015 PTC deadline, but we feel confident that we can get it done. Siemens and Bombardier have very complementary technologies.”

“These orders further strengthen our commitment to the North American signaling market and reflect our successful long-term partnership with the NYMTA and its rail agencies,” said Bombardier Transportation Rail Control Solutions President Peter Cedervall. “Our experience in delivering the most advanced rail control solutions around the world, together with the focus of our U.S.-based team, will ensure the successful delivery of the project. Our Rail Control Solutions portfolio covers the whole range of BOMBARDIER CITYFLO mass transit solutions, from manual to fully automatic systems as well as communication-based systems. It also provides BOMBARDIER INTERFLO main line solutions, from conventional systems to European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 3 systems.”

The U.S. Congress’ Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 mandates installation of PTC systems by Dec. 31, 2015 on rail lines that carry at least five MGTs (million gross tons) of freight annually, on Class I railroads that ship Poison Inhalation Hazard (PIH) commodities, and on lines where intercity and regional/commuter passenger rail service is regularly operated. PTC automatically stops or slows a train before certain accidents could occur. In particular, the technology is designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive speed, unauthorized incursions by trains onto sections of track where repairs are being made, and movement of a train through a turnout in the wrong position.